From The Prettiest Flower

Chapter 9: The Answer

      "We're here?!" Dot yelled, running ahead to where Minerva had stopped.
"Yes! You did it, your highness!"
"No, we did it."
"Okay that's just gross." Slappy snarked.
The rest of the team had caught up, excitement buzzing in the air. Looking over the hill, it was easy to see the disturbed ground where the star had fallen. A decade's worth of grass and flowers had grown over the crater, but they could still see the deep impression in the ground.
"I think it's very touching!" Squit said, tearing up just a little.
"Wow. I can't believe we forgot about this." Yakko said quietly, with a twinge of guilt in his voice.
"But we're here now! And we're never gonna forget again." Wakko smiled, putting an arm around Yakko and giving him a side-hug.
"No more stalling, come on!!"
Dot ran ahead, eager to finally end this, and find the truth.
She was mistaken.

     Running up and into the crater, there was nothing. The crater, empty. Their whole journey. For nothing. Dot stood in the center of the massive crater, hoping and praying that any second; that something would happen. Something would appear, to finally answer the questions she's had for so long. But nothing.
"I don't understand. All the clues...the journal...it was supposed to be here..." She sputtered, eyes filled with tears.
"Dot...It's gonna be okay. We just need to-"
Yakko put a hand on her shoulder, trying to console her, but she just swat him away.
"NO! You don't understand! Everything we've been searching for! All our questions about our parents, our lives, they were supposed to be answered! My whole life, I've never known who I was. And now that I know, all I have are even more questions! This...flower, was supposed to fix things, give me...an IDEA of who I am, what I am! But now I-" Dot collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. Her face was held in her gloved hands, so frustrated at everything, everyone. She didn't know what to do anymore. Yakko and Wakko stood shocked, but quickly dropped alongside her, trying their best to comfort her. The siblings sat for a moment, stewing in their own confusion and anger. Dot took a deep breath and finally spoke again.
"The garden."
"Huh?" Wakko commented.
She repeated,
"The garden. The one that I appeared in, we have to find it. T-there has to be something there. Come on." She got up, and marched ahead, bound and determined to try and continue. What else could her brothers do, but follow. But as Wakko turned to go, he noticed Dot had left something behind.
"Yakko..." He stopped his brother.
"Wh-what?" Yakko said quietly, his voice shaky. Wakko handed him the journal.
"Dot left this behind."
The brothers were quiet for a moment.
"We should catch up with her." Wakko nodded.
"Y-yeah, we should."

     The rest of the travelling team saw Dot run off with her brothers catching up. Squit asked,
"Ey, your highnesses! Where are you goin'? Isn't the flower up there?"
Yakko shouted back,
"There wasn't a flower! We're going back to Warnerstock! The flower might be there!"
Everyone looked at each other confused and shrugged. Minerva then said,
"Well...I guess we're going back-" They then began running down the trails following the Warners. Walking along the beaten road, the travelers trailed behind the Warners, being mostly silent.
"Are they okay, Aunt Slappy?" Skippy asked, sticking close to his aunt.
"Probably not. Anybody would be disappointed in their shoes." Slappy replied.
Skippy sighed, kicking a rock on the path.
"Do you think we'll get our home back?"
His question this time was quieter, very unsure.
"I don't-yes. We'll find that flower, kid."
Slappy put an arm around his shoulder, trying to reassure him. Flying close to the squirrels, the Goodfeathers too were worried about the royals.
"Did we fail, Bobby?" Squit asked, feeling disappointed in his guarding skills.
"What makes ya say that, Squit?"
"Well, we didn't do much in the guarding department, how can we know that the princes and princess trust us?" He sighed.
He felt like had done all he could to get into the royal's good graces, after everything they had done working for Salazar. But now he felt like they had failed.
"Are you kidding?" Minerva said, overhearing the pigeons.
"You three have been amazing! Bobby and Squit, finding the mountain lion and getting everyone out! And Pesto! FIGHTING a MOUNTAIN LION!! You cannot say that you're terrible guards! You've done nothing but protect us this whole journey, and I'm sure the princes and princess agree and appreciate it."
"Ya really think so?" Squit sheepishly replied.
"Of course! You three have nothing to worry about."

     The three guards looked at each other, starting to believe Minerva's words.
"Thanks." Said Bobby.
"Yeah, we have been pretty great, haven't we?" Pesto boasted.
"You've done great too, Minerva!"
Squit glided down closer to Minerva's eye-level.
"With those vines, and getting us to the crater!" Minerva shrugged.
"I'm not so sure. I mean, anyone could have gotten us through that, and...the crater..."
"What about it?" Skippy blurted, also hearing the conversation but not wanting to interrupt.
"See, I came with the princes and princess to find the crater and help the kingdom. But there was nothing at the crater. So I can't help but feel...useless. Everybody likes me because I'm pretty. Which, I mean, they're not wrong! And I don't hate the way I look, I just wish that...I could do more. I don't wanna prove myself, like you guys. I just want to help, be more...I guess. I don't know, this is so stupid."
"Minerva you're not stupid!" Skippy cried, hugging her leg.
"You're awesome! You helped get us here! And the vines, you rescued me!"
"I second that." Slappy commented.
"T-thanks guys. I really appreciate it."
Minerva smiled, feeling better already.

     "Dot stop beating yourself up about this." Yakko sighed.
"But how could I have been so DUMB!?" Dot cried, who had taken the journal from Yakko and was now angrily staring at it.
"There was nothing in here about the flower being at the crater!"
"But there wasn't anything saying it WASN'T at the crater." Wakko said, fiddling with his bag straps again, thinking.
"I mean, it was a really solid idea. The flower would be at the spot where the wish was made. I got my two ha'pennies at the star, they weren't thrown in the middle of town."
"Somehow this wish was different. Mom and Dad wished for a daughter, and they got a garden back at the palace. Then Dot was born from a plant in the garden." Yakko recounted.
"Yeah, we know that! We know that there's a garden, and the wish grew the garden, and I..." Dot paused.
"And?"
Wakko got a bit closer to her. Dot took a deep breath, trying to formulate her words.
"And...I don't know if I'm even a Warner." She muttered.
"Wh-What?!" Yakko gasped.
"Why would you even say that?"
"Well I am flower-born. I'm not-"
Dot thought back to the beginning of her journey. Her own words rang in her head:
"I'm Dot Warner, and no magic flower is going to change that!"
Back then she thought that this crater would give her the answer. Now, she wasn't sure anymore. Being let down, again. She didn't know what to believe anymore.
"I'm not...your sister..." She cried, running ahead the trail as fast as she could.
"Wait, wait, DOT!!"
"Dot, come back!!"